Working together is the key to ensuring the poultry industry can tackle the challenges it faces as well as enhance the opportunities, NFU President Peter Kendall told a major conference.

Speaking as the new president of the Egg and Poultry Meat Industry Conference at its 40th conference, Mr Kendall said he had been impressed by the way the NFU, the British Poultry Council and the British Egg Industry Council had worked together on issues like the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control regulations.

Last month hundreds of poultry farmers joined a lobby of MPs at the House of Commons calling for a three-year waiver on costs for the IPPC regulations. Lord Rooker, the Minister for Sustainable Farming and Food, has since agreed to undertake a review of the charges.

“In the face of challenges such as increased costs and regulations we need to work closely together because we cannot afford to duplicate resources,” Mr Kendall said.

He also said food produced by British farmers did not always get the recognition it deserved and highlighted the need to develop a sustainable and profitable supply chain. Retailers needed to understand the pressures in the chain and new markets needed to be honoured by long-term commitments, he said.

The poultry industry had proved itself to be a sector that found solutions when faced with problems and had recognised the importance of marketing in creating a more prosperous future. It had a lot to be proud of regarding what it had achieved, he added.

ThePoultrySite News Desk